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~PLEASE NOTE THE NEW CLOSE DATE~(I apologize to any who entered before the original close date. You are still entered to win. There was a technical issue that didn’t record things properly and I was out of town and unable to access the data. If you received a second confirmation email, please click to confirm. I apologize for the confusion. Thank you for your understanding and good luck!)

This first contest will be open to U.S. residents only. Sorry international folks! I hope to remedy that in future contests.

How it works
Sign up to receive my newsletter before Oct. 1st to be entered to win one of my personal copies of Missing Pieces, Vol. VIII. The winner will receive a free copy of Missing Pieces, Vol. VIII with the title page of Wild Portal Child signed by me. Free shipping is included. Winner will be chosen via random drawing.

No matter when you signed up, as long as it’s before October first, you’ll be entered to win.

By entering you’re agreeing to receive occasional email updates about stories and upcoming books, events and other contests. If you don’t like the content you’re receiving, you can unsubscribe after the contest, but I hope you enjoy the updates and choose to stay.

Enter here:

No purchase necessary. Any purchase will not enhance chance of winning. Void where prohibited. This sweepstakes is hosted by Crearies Marketing Design, LLC. Enter to win by signing up to receive an email newsletter from rhondazatezalo.com. Sweepstakes is open to all subscribers through 11:59 CST, September 30, 2017. Must be at least 13 years of age to enter. Winner(s) will be chosen and notified by email no later than October 12, 2017. Winner will be chosen by a random number generator. Winner(s) first name and last initial may be used for marketing purposes. All entrants are agreeing to receive email communications from the Sponsor and/or rhondazatezalo.com. Odds of wining are based on the number of entries, possibly as low as 1:20. Winner must provide a physical address (not a PO Box) for prize delivery. This contest is not sponsored by the publisher or editor of Missing Pieces. Value of prize is approximately $20 USD.

I heard back from the first contest in which had two short stories entered. And guess what??? I received my first rejection slips! Yep, both stories were passed over, but getting my first rejections kind of makes me feel like a real writer. I know it probably sounds a bit strange, but that’s how I feel. Both of these stories are still entered into other contests, the last of which announces in October. As always, I’ll keep you updated.

More story updates: I had my new editor look over “Wild Portal Child” and got some great feedback. Based on her notes, I made some changes that really make the story better overall. But now it’s almost 16k words! (oops!) Still the publisher is planning on putting it in the anthology that comes out in August. I can’t wait to share the first Vargen story with you. I don’t know if there will be online sales, (it’s a niche market) but I’ll let you know where to find the anthology if you want to pick it up.

I’m also planning a giveaway for one or two copies. More on that later.

As for other stuff, I’ve been traveling in Texas this week. I miss the cats and pups though, so I brought along my little bush baby friend. We’re documenting his travels. Here he is on the 8th floor, with the fountain below.

Hotel life is mostly conducive to writing. I finished a new short story today and I like the way it’s shaping up. I’ll let it sit a bit than do a rewrite. It’s a story of survival, and the bonds that form in the midst of crisis. If I don’t submit it to a contest, I’ll be sharing it soon.

In other news, I’ll soon be able to share even more stories with you. If all goes well, I’ll be announcing that information mid to late July.

First, I’d like to thank my awesome beta readers for their valuable input. The first Vargen short story err… novelette is in the hands of the editor. I’m not set on the name yet, but the working title is Too far? We’ll see what the editor has to say. 🙂 Though I enjoyed writing the shorter story, I’m thrilled to be working on book one of the trilogy again. I’ve made a lot of changes to the structure to move the plot along faster, and hopefully keep my readers turning pages.

Based on feedback from the novelette, Cheyaron and Werner are well liked characters. I had a lot of fun writing them and now they’ve managed to steal a whole plot line for themselves in the first book. Well, the plot follows Chey, but Werner makes a few appearances. You’ll see Vargen from Cheyaron’s point of view, and Earth 2037 through Nisha’s eyes.

I’m really excited to bring my dual-world universe to readers. I can’t say when book one will be published. The plan is to begin queries for an agent in August, right around the time Too far? is released. The short story is slated for an anthology printing in August. I should know soon if it’s been accepted and of course I’ll let you know. 🤞 Until then I have gadgets to invent, characters to chase, and timelines to tangle. Best wishes and happy reading.

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with gratitude

Writing is an exercise of creation, but publishing is one of vulnerability. I am profoundly grateful to my friends, family and fans for their support and feedback. I’m also grateful to the critics–you help me stay humble and strive for better work.